tPOL/Final Stretch Letter to Families May 2017

Dear Osprey Students and Families,
The next three weeks are chock full of special events and quirky schedules and we want to be sure you have all the information you need to help us all wrap up the 2016-17 school year gracefully.  Please read carefully, and send follow up questions my way!
May 15-19: Final Week of Regular Classes
Next week is the final week of regularly scheduled core classes and electives.  Three highlights:

• Freshman will present their 20% Project TED Talks on Tuesday, May 16 10:30-12:00 and Wednesday, May 17 8:30-12:00 in the Jesse Hutt Building.  Community members and parents are welcome to come see the Class of 2020 present. The 20% project is inspired by a practice in cutting-edge companies like Google who have discovered that when they give workers 20% of the work week to independently research ideas connected to their passions and interests, it leads to creative innovation and mastery.  Come see how the 9th graders have used this time to develop creative ideas!

Senior Project Exhibition is Thursday, May 18, 4:00 to 7:00 at the Powerhouse Science Center.  We encourage everyone to attend! Seniors will present their take action projects, the culminating piece of their capstone project at AHS, with projects ranging from aquaponics, robotics, battery-powered locomotion and wind turbine demonstrations to creative art installations, guided meditation circles and more.

• AHS End-of-Year Family Picnic is Friday, May 19, 5:00-7:00 at Rotary Park.  Current and new families, staff and alumni are all invited to this potluck picnic in the park, complete with lawn games and live music.  Come socialize and celebrate the year with us!
  • Last Name A through F: bring an appetizer
  • Last Name G through L: bring a salad
  • Last Name M though R: bring a main dish
  • Last Name S through Z: bring a dessert

May 22-26: tPOL Prep/Graduation Week
The week after next, juniors will be back at school, students will be preparing for tPOLs and seniors will be in full graduation swing:

• 9th through 11th graders will be engaged in Transitional Presentation of Learning (tPOL) preparation, working in grade-level teams Monday through Thursday, during regular school hours, 8:25 to 3:25.   
• XBlock WILL meet on Wednesday, May 24.  This is the final XBlock of the year.
• Seniors are not required to be on campus this week, except for their individually scheduled Senior Exit Interviews.  
• Senior Celebration is Tuesday, May 23 from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Rocket Grill in the Fort Lewis College Student Union.  All are welcome to attend this event, where we acknowledge the support of the community in the AHS Class of 2017’s high school journey and celebrate our seniors’ growth and accomplishments.  There will be light refreshments and a cash bar.  Seniors will receive cap and gowns and graduation tickets at this event.
• Senior Supper is Thursday, May 25 from 6:00 to 8:00 at AHS.  This event is just for seniors and staff, and is our final chance to appreciate the soon-to-be graduates before their big day.  Parents–please sign up here to help with Senior Supper!  We need folks setting up, preparing food, serving food, donating items, cleaning up, etc. to help create this special event for our seniors.  
• Advisory Olympics are Friday, May 26 from 8:25 to 12:00 at Memorial Park, along the river south of 32nd Street.  This end-of-year tradition engages advisory groups in friendly, fun competition (think dance-offs, tug-of-war, scooter races, etc.), with each group decked out in themed costumes.  Our expectation is that all 9th through 11th grade students will participate in Advisory Olympics unless we receive a call from a parent or guardian excusing the student due to illness.  We will have early release at 12:00 and  AHS will NOT provide transportation to/from Memorial Park.  Students must arrange their own transportation; there will be NO Hub Bus and AHS campus will be closed on Friday the 26th.  There will be NO catered lunch available and students should bring a sack lunch, sunscreen and water.
• Seniors will have Graduation Rehearsal Friday, May 26 from 8:25 to 10:00 at the Community Concert Hall.  This is when we take the official class photo.  We do a full run through of the ceremony.
• AHS Graduation is on Friday, May 26, from 4:00 to 6:00pm at the Community Concert Hall.  There will be general admission seating available in the Balcony section on a first-come, first-served basis.  Please plan to arrive and be seated no later than 3:45 if you have tickets.  We will release ticketed seats at that time to general admission guests.

The Hub Bus from DHS to AHS WILL run May 22-25 and we WILL offer catered lunch May 22-25.
May 29 through June 2: tPOL Week
All 9th through 11th grade students will complete Transitional Presentations of Learnings before the end of the year.  As with POLs in December, tPOLs are individually scheduled; student schedules will vary this week depending upon when they are completing/paneling for tPOLs.  Professional dress is required for tPOLs.  
There is no school on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29 and no tPOLs will be scheduled for that date.  The last day of school is Friday, June 2, though some students will finish before then if they successfully complete their tPOL and paneling responsibilities earlier in the week.

• Freshmen will individually present to a panel of faculty and peers; parents are invited to attend. A handful of 9th grade students will complete their tPOLs on Thursday, May 25.  The rest will complete tPOLs this week.
• Sophomores will participate in socratic seminar style group conversations for their tPOLs, reflecting on their individual growth in the context of dialogue with their peers; parents are encouraged to attend.
• Juniors will do individual presentations about their LINK Internships for tPOLs; parents are encouraged to attend.  

Successful completion of tPOL is required to transition to the next grade level; it is not unusual to be asked to refine and redo a tPOL and students need to be prepared to return another day if they do not pass the first time.  
There will be NO Hub Bus from DHS to AHS and NO catered lunch during tPOL week.
I recognize that the end of the school year can be a bit of a whirlwind and there are many details to track.  As always, we invite you to reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you for all you do at home to support your student as we all work toward finishing the year gracefully!
Cheers,
Libby